The DIY UPS Project - Power Outages? Not a problem!

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2024-04-27 14:30:03

I'm not saying I'm qualified. I'm not. But I have a decent idea of what I'm doing and have lots of tools, paranoia, and people to consult to guide me through it. Also - since I'm posting this for internet scrutiny, you, dear reader, can email me if I have done something dumb (at 7666@lain.la)!

As you may or may not recall, I had a generator project in the works over on the begging donations page over here. This was designed to provide Lain.la's full 1kW power requirement with the ability to tolerate an extended power outage, with the inclusion of a 15kW propane generator and automatic transfer switch into my home's electrical system. This idea was great and all, but came at a price tag of nearly $16,000 for labor, parts, the generator itself, permits, gas lines, the ATS, etc etc. This was simply too costly to run and maintain. I don't need my whole home powered, and I don't need a $16k hole in my wallet. But - my current UPS systems can only run Lain.la for a maximum of 15 minutes before they start failing.

Indeed - all the options sucked. Waiting didn't solve any problems, and accepting the risk of a power outage really weighed heavily on me. I had to find a solution for option 4 that met the following basic goals: